Category: Symphonic / Orchestral , Choir / Vocal , Organ / Sacred Music
MEMENTO MORTUIS - Peace Motette for choir and orchestra: "Lord, make me the instrument of Your peace" was composed on behalf of the Dommusik Speyer for a commemorative concert on May 8, 2020 "75 YEARS END OF SECOND WORLD WAR". An orchestral meditation frames a setting of the prayer "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace" for choir, which was written in France in 1912.
Movements: Memento I für Orchester
Chormotette: „Herr, mach mich zum Werkzeug Deines Friedens“
Memento II für Orchester
Duration: 7 Minutes
Publisher of notes/sheet music: The choir part at Carus-Verlag Stuttgart / The orchestral part MEMENTO MORTUIS is manuscript of the author , 2020
Instrumentation: Choir (S A T B)
Oboe
Percussion
(Pauke, Triangel, 2 Becken klein/groß, Claves, snare drum, Holzkiste oder -brett mit Hammer, Tamtam ad lib.)
String Orchestra (Vl 1+2, Vla, Vc, Kb)
Text/Lyrics by: anonym, France 1912
Introduction: MEMENTO MORTUIS is a funeral music for the countless victims of the Second World War and was composed in 2020 for the 75th anniversary of the end of the war. A framing orchestral meditation contains a choral motet "Lord, make me the instrument of your peace", which was written ten years ago in the version for choir and organ (published by Carus-Verlag Stuttgart).
The peace prayer "Seigneur, faites de moi un instrument de votre paix" was written in France by an anonymous lyricist and is first documented in the magazine La Clochette (No. 12 of December 1912). The editor entitled it "Belle prière à faire pendant la messe". It quickly became popular as it represented a pacifist counterposition to the European enthusiasm for war, which then led to the First World War.
Since 1927, the popular prayer has been attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, but there are no Latin or Italian sources for it. Consequently, it is not included in the critical complete edition of the writings of Saint Francis.
Dedication: Cordsially dedicated to Domkapellmeister Markus Melchiori (Speyer)
World premiere: 08.05.2020, Cathedral in Speyer
Performers at world premiere: 8. Mai 2020 im Dom zu Speyer mit dem Chor der Dommusik Speyer und Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Ltg.: Domkapellmeister Markus Melchiori in einem Gedenkkonzert zum 75. Jahrestag Ende des 2. Weltkrieges
